Can You Stop Hair Thinning? What Causes It and How to Treat It

If you’re noticing your hair feels finer, looks less full or perhaps doesn’t quite have the same volume as it used to, you may be experiencing hair thinning.

Whether it’s down to genetics, hormones or your health, hair thinning is common, but treatment options are available. In this article, our experts explain the causes of hair thinning, and the changes you can make to address it.

Article summary:

• Androgenetic alopecia (a condition that can cause pattern hair loss in men) is one of the most common causes for thinning hair, and can result in hair strands becoming finer over time.
• Hair loss is common and speaking to a healthcare professional to understand why your hair is thinning could be the key to finding the right treatment for you.
• Making small changes to your diet, daily habits and hair styling choices could help minimise hair breakage to support strength and the appearance of density while using hair loss treatments.

What is hair thinning?

Put simply, hair thinning is when your hair gradually becomes less dense and makes your hair appear or feel finer than it used to. It can happen when individual hair strands become thinner, or fewer hairs grow from the follicle, and in some cases, both at the same time.

How to stop hair thinning with your hair care routine

There are many things you can do to alter your hair care routine to reduce hair thinning. These include:

Using a mild shampoo (including anti-hair loss brands)

There are many shampoos which claim to help combat hair loss, but initially, we’d recommend that you avoid using shampoos that contain lots of sulphates. These can dry out your hair and contribute to breakage. [1]

Avoid putting physical stress on your hair

If you have long hair, pulling it into a tight style is likely to pull hairs out too. In fact, anything which places stress on your scalp, such as frequent combing or vigorous towel drying, could increase the risk of damage to your hair and hair follicles.

Regular scalp massages may help

Taking the time to gently give yourself a scalp massage (even if it's for 5 minutes) every day is a simple way to increase blood flow to your hair follicles. A small study of 9 men over 24 weeks showed that repeating this step often may support the growth of thicker hair strands over time. [2]

Can you stop hair thinning if the cause is genetic?

Your genes certainly have an impact on your hair. But just as you might have a genetic predisposition towards certain health conditions but make lifestyle choices to avoid them, there are many things you can do that may reduce or slow down the rate at which hair falls out. [3]

Let’s look at some of these factors, starting with broad lifestyle choices, before zooming in on hair care and specific treatments.

How to reduce hair shedding: lifestyle choices

There are many lifestyle choices and hormonal changes that can affect the speed at which your hair sheds.

Stress

Severe stress can trigger temporary hair loss. If you’re feeling stressed over a long period, your body may put your hair follicles into their ‘resting period’ for longer than usual, and that may cause a noticeable thinning of the hair. [4]

Poor diet

A diet lacking in a range of vitamins and minerals could lead to a deficiency of nutrients needed for hair health. Getting your daily intake of iron, zinc and biotin could support healthy hair growth. If your diet doesn’t allow you to consume enough of these through food alone, you could consider a supplement.

Drinking and smoking

Heavy alcohol consumption and smoking may both have a negative impact on hair growth. [5] Cutting back or quitting will not stop hair loss completely, but may help you retain length, density and support healthier hair overall. [6]

Lack of exercise

Increasing your physical exercise can help reduce stress, which could potentially slow down signs of hair loss. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise for 5 days a week. Your workouts don’t need to be too intense, just a little bit of movement to get your heart rate up will improve overall health. [7]

It’s important to note that these are all factors linked to hair loss, but don’t necessarily cause it on their own.

How to prevent hair thinning with hair loss treatments

Besides lifestyle choices and general hair care, there are also a number of hair loss treatments available which could help extend your hair growth cycle, slow down or even reverse signs of hair loss. [8] These include:

Finasteride-based treatments

Finasteride is a hair treatment used to treat male pattern hair loss. It reduces DHT levels (DHT is a hormone that is a key driver of hair loss in genetically predisposed men) and may slow hair loss and promote regrowth in many men. Finasteride is taken as a daily pill and is available under the brand name Propecia. [9]

If you’re considering finasteride from male pattern hair loss, it’s important to know that it’s associated with a number of significant side effects, including sexual dysfunction such as reduced sex drive, the inability to get or keep an erection (erectile dysfunction) and problems with ejaculation.

The MHRA has also issued a warning following increased reports of Finasteride causing low mood, depression and suicidal thoughts. Patients are advised to stop Finasteride and speak to their GP immediately if they experience any obvious changes in mood. It is also important to note that side effects can persist for a number of months after stopping treatment. You can learn more here.

Please note that Finasteride needs to be taken continuously to see the optimal benefit of treatment. It is not approved for use in women, and should be stopped by men before trying to conceive. This is due to sexual side effects which could make it harder to conceive. Studies have also found that trace amounts of Finasteride have been found to pass into semen, although experts agree that the risk to a developing foetus are likely to be extremely small. [10]

We strongly recommend that you speak to your prescriber if you are taking Finasteride and looking to start a family.

Regaine

Regaine is a topical hair loss treatment. The easy-to-use foam is applied to the scalp on a regular basis and can also slow down or prevent hair loss. When starting Regaine, you may notice more hair shedding at first, which is normal. Regaine contains minoxidil, an ingredient that helps follicles stay in their growing phase for longer. Regaine doesn’t block DHT in the same way that finasteride does, and requires consistency to maintain new hair growth. [11]

For many types of hair loss, starting treatment early can improve the chances of preserving existing hair. Results are usually better when treatment begins as soon as thinning is noticed, though response varies by cause, treatment and how advanced the hair loss already is.

Are you losing more hair than normal?

Hair loss is a natural, common occurrence. Some men choose to embrace it, but others prefer to slow the process. If that’s you, know that there are many things you can do to help.

Let’s find out why hair loss happens, and explore some of the steps you can take to reduce it.

There are a number of causes of hair loss, so knowing which one affects you can help you decide which steps to take to help prevent hair thinning.

Normal hair shedding

On average, you can shed about 50-100 hairs a day, which is relatively normal. However, if you’ve started noticing more hairs than usual on your pillow or in the shower, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have an underlying hair loss condition. It may just be part of your scalp’s natural process of shedding hair, but this varies from person to person.

Rapid hair shedding

If you’ve suddenly noticed bald patches or large clumps of hair falling out from one day to the next (or very noticeable thinning in just a few weeks), this could be a sign of an underlying medical condition like alopecia areata, for example. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder where your body mistakenly attacks healthy follicles and causes hair to fall out in round or oval patches. [12] Sudden shedding (or sudden diffuse shedding) is usually a sign of telogen effluvium, which is reversible and temporary hair loss that may be caused by stress or diet. [13] If you think you’re noticing signs of either of these conditions, it’s important to contact your GP to let them know because there could be an underlying health concern which needs attention.

Male pattern baldness

Pattern baldness is one of the most common causes of male hair loss and is down to genetics. [12] To decide if you’re experiencing male pattern baldness, you can:

• Speak to your relatives: Hair loss is widely known to be a genetic characteristic and passed down through families, so look at your relatives or ask your parents about them to get an idea of whether you’re likely to have one of these genes too.
• Compare photos of yourself over time: Male pattern baldness follows a very standard process. In many cases, the hair at your temples starts to recede first, creating an “M” or “V” shape pattern. You can quickly tell if you have receding hair by simply looking at photos of yourself from a few years ago with more recent images.

Alternatively, you may experience hair loss from the crown (top) of your head. Of course, since most people don’t take photos of the crown of their head, you might want to get a friend or partner to take a photo of your crown every three months or so to help you compare.

At MedExpress, we offer online consultations and clinically proven treatment options that can help slow hair loss and support regrowth, including Finasteride, Propecia and Regaine (minoxidil). Our clinicians can help you choose the most appropriate option for your hair loss.

References

1. Chiu CHT, Huang SH, Wang HMD. A Review: Hair Health, Concerns of Shampoo Ingredients and Scalp Nourishing Treatments. Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology [Internet]. 2015;16(12):1045–52. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26278532/
2. Koyama T, Kobayashi K, Hama T, Murakami K, Ogawa R. Standardized Scalp Massage Results in Increased Hair Thickness by Inducing Stretching Forces to Dermal Papilla Cells in the Subcutaneous Tissue. Eplasty [Internet]. 2016 Jan 25;16:e8. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4740347/
3. NHS website. Hair loss [Internet]. nhs.uk. 2017. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/hair-loss/
4. Bryant E. How stress causes hair loss [Internet]. National Institutes of Health (NIH). 2021 Apr. Available from: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-stress-causes-hair-loss
5. Mysore V, Kavadya Y. Role of smoking in androgenetic alopecia: A systematic review. International Journal of Trichology. 2022;14(2):41.
6. Hoyumpa AM. Mechanisms of Vitamin Deficiencies in Alcoholism. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 1986 Nov;10(6):573–81.
7. Nabkasorn C, Miyai N, Sootmongkol A, Junprasert S, Yamamoto H, Arita M, et al. Effects of physical exercise on depression, neuroendocrine stress hormones and physiological fitness in adolescent females with depressive symptoms. European Journal of Public Health. 2005 Aug 26;16(2):179–84.
8. Nestor MS, Ablon G, Gade A, Han H, Fischer DL. Treatment options for androgenetic alopecia: Efficacy, side effects, compliance, financial considerations, and ethics. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2021 Nov 6;20(12).
9. Winiarska A, Mandt N, Kamp H, Hossini A, Seltmann H, Zouboulis CC, et al. Effect of 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone and testosterone on apoptosis in human dermal papilla cells. Skin pharmacology and physiology [Internet]. 2006;19(6):311–21. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16931898/
10. Finasteride [Internet]. PubMed. Brentwood (TN): Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS); 1994. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582707/
11. Zeltzer AA, Keren A, Paus R, Gilhar A. Topical Minoxidil Rejuvenates Hair Follicles from Men with Androgenetic Alopecia in Vivo. Acta Dermato-Venereologica. 2024 June 11;104:adv24213.
12. Alopecia areata [Internet]. Bad.org.uk. 2024. Available from: https://www.bad.org.uk/pils/alopecia-areata
13. Telogen effluvium [Internet]. Bad.org.uk. 2020. Available from: https://www.bad.org.uk/pils/telogen-effluvium